Mission to Mobius
by Ian Jenkins
Summary: The Terran Intergalactic Order has a mission for a young Lieutenant - go to Mobius and arrest Dr. Robotnik! What will happen? please R


Mission to Mobius  
  
By Kronos Recker  
  
  
  
Chapter 1 – Situation and Briefing  
  
Daniel Carter stared ahead at General Pressman, who sat behind his desk, staring hard at the young man over his rimmed spectacles. Pressman had called him into his office for a matter of "grave importance to the Terran Intergalactic Order." Carter couldn't give a damn one way or the other. He wasn't too satisfied with the way things had been running in the Order and even less satisfied with the amount of field work that he had been receiving, which added up to just one mission. Here was an opportunity to try again…  
  
"Lieutenant Carter…" Pressman began, "As you know, there are many fugitives running about this universe of ours. Some have been captured, some have been rehabilitated, and some have even stopped their aggressive actions. One in particular has caught our attention." Pressman typed at the terminal in front of him and then turned it around to show Carter. It was a picture of a bald man, with a long orange mustache, and robotic implants on his face and head.  
  
Daniel raised an eyebrow, staring at the picture, "…that's…"  
  
"Julian Kintobor." Pressman replied gravely, "AKA, Dr. Ivo Robotnik."  
  
"Our envoy to Mobius!" Daniel exclaimed, raising the other eyebrow, "How did HE end up on the Most Wanted list?"  
  
"It happened some time ago." Pressman replied, leaning back in his seat, "You are correct. We sent him and his nephew Snively Kintobor to Mobius to act as the Order's envoy. We had been trying to maintain peaceful relations with the Mobians for a long time. So, in a gesture of goodwill and faith to King Acorn of Mobotropolis, Mobius' capitol city, we sent Julian and Snively to Mobius for a diplomatic post."  
  
Daniel leaned forward in his seat, "…things didn't go as planned?"  
  
"In a way, things did go as planned." Pressman replied with a sigh, "Julian was accomplishing his diplomatic mission quite well. But, one day, all transmissions from Mobius stopped. We heard nothing…nothing from Mobotropolis, nothing from the envoys, nothing at all. Supreme General Cason believed that something had occurred on the planet and most of its population had been killed, including Julian and Snively. It wasn't until recently that we found out what had truly happened."  
  
"What DID happen?" Daniel asked, tearing his eyes from the picture on the screen to meet Pressman's eyes.  
  
The General frowned, "Those that went with him had apparently seen what he was secretly planning and were going to kill him for treason. Instead of facing it, he fled to Mobotropolis, led by King Acorn, to seek refuge. With Julian's help, Acorn destroyed those that were after him and the other humans on Mobius during the Great War. Kintobor took advantage of the situation. He had apparently been building up a secret, robotic army to invade Mobotropolis and take it over. Taking the moniker Dr. Ivo Robotnik, he launched a surprise attack on the city and did just that. Whomever he captured, he sent to a machine called the Roboticizer and turned them into a robot slave."  
  
"God almighty…" Daniel sighed, sitting back.  
  
"Indeed." Pressman nodded, "It is rumored that, once he was done with Mobius, he would come back to take the Order's control away from Cason. Thus, he has been charged with treason, conspiracy, and crimes against humanity and the planet Mobius. This is where you come in."  
  
"What are my orders?" Daniel asked.  
  
"These orders come from Supreme General Cason personally, Lieutenant Carter." General Pressman said as a businesslike air surrounded him, "He selected you for this assignment due to your skill in these types of situations." He stared straight ahead at Daniel again, his eyes piercing the young man's retinas, "Your mission is to go to Mobius, find 'Robotnik', and bring him back to Earth to stand trial for his crimes. Do you accept this mission?"  
  
Seconds seemed to go like minutes, minutes like hours. Finally, Daniel nodded, "Yes, sir. I accept the mission."  
  
Pressman nodded and stood, extending his arm to Daniel, who shook it in turn, "Good show, Lieutenant. You have caught Supreme General Cason's eye, and he is watching." Pressman pulled Daniel in a bit; as if to keep the next words he spoke from any hidden spies or something like that, "…do not fail me." He pushed him back to his standing position and spoke louder, "The briefing will begin in one hour aboard the ISS Wraith, currently docked in the New York City Stardock." He placed his hands behind his back, "Any questions?"  
  
"When do I leave for Mobius?" Carter asked.  
  
"The briefing is in one hour. The Wraith departs for Mobius half-an-hour after the briefing is completed." Pressman replied.  
  
"So, I take it I'm not gonna be sleeping in the Barracks tonight, eh?" Daniel said with a grin.  
  
Pressman shook his head, "No. It will take you one standard day to reach Mobius from Earth. Anything else? No. Good. Dismissed."  
  
Daniel saluted his commanding officer and turned from the white-mustached man and exited the office. Meanwhile, Pressman retook his seat. Typing a bit more on the terminal, he sat at attention as a man with a salt-and- pepper beard and mustache took the screen.  
  
"Has he agreed?" the man asked, his deep base voice rumbling.  
  
Pressman saluted to the man, "Yes, Supreme General Cason. He will be briefed on the…situation within the hour."  
  
"Good." Cason smiled, "…but make sure that he is aware that I want him alive."  
  
"Do not worry, sir." Pressman replied, "I'll ensure that he is made aware of the consequences of killing Kintobor. As sure as I am General Richard Pressman, Julian Kintobor will be returned, alive."  
  
~*~  
  
Onboard the Wraith, Carter sat in the very uncomfortable seat against the wall, waiting. It had been an hour since the meeting with General Pressman and he was very anxious to get on with the mission. The briefing officer entered the room and took his place beside a screen.  
  
"Good morning, Lieutenant." The officer said with a salute, "I am James McCallistar, Commander of the ISS Wraith. I'm here to provide you with a mission briefing and to give you transport to Mobius." The commander turned the screen on, showing Mobius from space, "The point of conflict is here…" the screen pressed forward into Mobius, showing a red dot on the conflict point. The image grew closer until they were on the planet. "Robotropolis, formerly known as Mobotropolis, is Robotnik's headquarters. But, be careful. Should you come into contact with anyone other than Robotnik himself, you might face some very serious problems."  
  
"Who else is near the conflict area that I should worry about?" Daniel asked, rubbing his chin.  
  
"Ever since Robotnik started attacking the planet, there's been a resistance group close to Robotropolis." McCallistar replied, "They call themselves the Freedom Fighters and their goal is to eliminate Robotnik for good. They're weakening Robotnik's war effort but not enough to stop him."  
  
"Do they pose a threat to the agenda?"  
  
"Very possibly." McCallistar replied, "Supreme General Cason wants you to bring Robotnik in alive. We can't do that if the Freedom Fighters kill him."  
  
"What should I do if I encounter them?" Daniel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I'm sure Supreme General Cason also doesn't want me to exterminate any life on Mobius. Our ties to Mobius are probably shot to hell enough as it is."  
  
"If you DO encounter them…" McCallistar hesitated, "…do nothing unless they attack you. But, be careful. These guys have been causing Robotnik a great deal of trouble."  
  
"Must be extremely tough forces if they can hold Robotnik off for as long as they have." Carter shook his head, "Do we have any profiles on them?"  
  
McCallistar dialed a few buttons on the panel and a picture of an anthropomorphic squirrel/chipmunk appeared on the screen. Carter blinked at it. "This is their leader." McCallistar explained, "Princess Sally Acorn."  
  
"King Acorn's daughter…hmm…yes… HEY! Wait a minute here…" Carter stared, incredulous, at the picture, "Are you telling me…that the Freedom Fighters…that have plagued Robotnik for so long…are ANIMALS!?"  
  
McCallistar frowned, "You shouldn't speak with such a degrading tone, Lieutenant. These are anthropomorphic animals, the inhabitants of Mobius."  
  
"THEY are the ones that we've been trying to negotiate with?" Carter still couldn't believe it, "I was led to believe that they were some all-powerful military force… not a bunch of woodland creatures…"  
  
"They are more than just a bunch of woodland creatures, Carter. They have accomplished a great deal in their fight against Robotnik. Their roster includes…" McCallistar clicked again and a picture of a fox wearing a blue military uniform of sorts appeared, "Antoine D'Coolette." Another click, and another picture popped up on the screen. This time, it was of a rabbit with what seemed to have a robotic leg and arm, "Bunnie Rabbot."  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Carter muttered under his breath, shaking his head.  
  
"LIEUTENANT." The Captain said sharply. Carter sat at attention. McCallistar sighed, "You NEED to take this seriously, Lieutenant." Muttering something about how he wasn't paid enough for this kind of crap, McCallistar went on with the roster, showing now a slightly oversized walrus, "This one is called Rotor…"  
  
"Who would name a walrus Rotor…?" Carter shook his head.  
  
McCallistar didn't verbally respond to the comment, simply giving a glare that said it all. He clicked again and a picture of a young fox with two tails popped up, "Miles "Tails" Prower. Some sort of mutation gave him two tails, instead of the average one for foxes."  
  
"Yipes…" Carter blinked, "That's something you CERTAINLY don't see everyday…"  
  
"Indeed." McCallistar nodded, "And finally, we have the data on their toughest hero." A few more clicks and types from the terminal and a shot of a blue hedgehog, arms folded, foot tapping, popped up, "This is Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog…best known as Sonic the Hedgehog."  
  
Carter regarded the picture for a moment, "…Hmmm… why's he called that?"  
  
"According to SpyNet reports, Sonic the Hedgehog is the fastest hedgehog on the whole planet." McCallistar said, "You might have to watch your back if you're discovered. From what I hear, they don't really take too kindly to 'Overlanders', which they call us."  
  
"Because of Robotnik." Carter said. Not a question.  
  
"Unfortunately, our envoy didn't exactly give them the best view about the human race. They say we're distrustful, warlike, cruel, and treacherous."  
  
"All because of Robotnik."  
  
McCallistar turned the screen off, "Now you know how serious the situation is. Robotnik cannot be allowed to continue his reign of terror over Mobius. You must apprehend him."  
  
The briefing continued for about 15 more minutes. The plan was simple. Lt. Daniel Carter would be dropped off just under a mile away from Robotropolis and would sneak inside by using a specialty stealth suit to bend the light around him, making him seem invisible. Once inside Robotropolis, he would scout every high-security location until he found the eggman himself. As soon as he got him alone, Carter was to arrest him and escort him back to the Wraith, which would be in a forest clearing, for transport back to Earth. It was so simple.  
  
So how could something so simple take a turn for the worse? 


End file.
